Given the choice of one person – living or dead – who would you choose to ‘hang’ with for 24 hours?
Einstein? Julius Cesear? Shakespeare? Al Gore 
Perplexing?
I won’t taint your thinking with my answer – but given how today has started in the Pop Doc’s surgery – I could probably do with 24 hours of ‘hang time’ with my chosen buddy.
Can you believe it – go home the other night to find the Pop Doctor clan transfixed by of all things – Felix The Cat – which somehow managed to find its way onto the tube.
Without thinking – Felix’s hypnotic presence was enough to plant me in my seat for the next 10 mins – as I regailed in the classic slapstick comedy which made this cat so originally cool.
It got me to pondering about all those subsequent pretenders to the title of TV’s coolest cat.
From Sylvester to Leonardo Lion, Snagglepuss to Kimba, there’s been more than a few.
So, just who is the world’s coolest cat?
What was it about the sitcom – Happy Days – that made it sooooo ‘cool’.
Let’s face it – when you look at the sum of its parts, the show had little going for it.
Imagine going to television executives (in an era when Mannix, The Streets of San Francisco, Kojak and Kung Fu were rating their collective scripts off) – with a handful of hotch potch ideas, a single pilot episode (featuring a middle class American family set in the 50’s, a dysfunctional local thug and Japanese diner proprietor) and trying bravely to keep a poker face when looking to sell the concept.
Well – apparently it worked and Milwaukee, Wisconsin was never the same again.
If there were a Sitcom Hall of Fame, “Happy Days” would surely have a cherished spot there.
For 10 years, we followed The Fonz, Richie, Ralph Malph, Potsie and the Cunninghams through an idealised version of American life in the late 50’s and early 60’s.
From some fairly lightweight scripts came some heavyweight ratings – and for the period 1975-1977 – it consistently featured in the Top 10 programs in the US and Australia.
As twee as its formulated characterisations and improvised situational comedy was – audiences loved it.
From The Fonz’s famous ‘Heeeeeyyyy’ to the familiar ‘Sit on It’ catchcry – the program (was at worst) – inoffensive cultural cringe – (at best) – wholesome family humour.
Then it happened . . . .
Having already spawn spinoff’s including Laverne and Shirley as well as Mork and Mindy – the Happy Days lustre began to tarnish.
Having already conceived the modern colloqualism “Nerd” – the program was about to add another (less fortunate – but still enduring term) – ‘Jumping The Shark’.
With ratings falling and producers looking for answers, a plot involving Fonzie performing a water ski jump over a shark in an episode during the show’s fifth season is often cited as the point where the series had passed its peak of quality and popularity.
The phrase ‘jumping the shark’ was later applied to popular culture phenomena in general.
Of course – the series continued – but as cast members gradually drifted the program and spin-offs including Joanie Loves Chachi – became increasingly tragic – the beauty and intent of those early seasons was lost.
If there was ever a case of getting too much of a good thing – unfortunately Happy Days was it.
Heeeyyyyyyy!
Click Here To View the Opening Sequence to Happy Days
There’s so many things the Japanese have brought to the world’s cultural table.
Origami, bonsai and duster slippers for cats.
But has there been any more significant gift to the western world than 60’s television animination?
Sure – we had our Charlie Brown’s, our Yogi Bear’s and our Bugs Bunny’s – but could anything really stack up against Gigantor or Astro Boy?
Perhaps the wide-eyed Marine Boy, who (along with his pals in the P1 – Bolton, Piper and father Dr Mariner) was plied with the responsibility of making the oceans of the world safe – was more your cuppa tea.
Or was Prince Planet – with his enduring pendant of power more your go.
No wait – I bet Space Ace or Kimba – the White Lion proved themselves your animated saviour on more than one rainy afternoon.
For die hard fans, surely The Eighth Man (about an android super-hero) was the definitive black and white – and as for Speed Racer . . .
Ya’ know even my friends in the Land of the Brave, Home of the Free tried to get in on the act – with the addition of Karate into the whole Batfink and Karate deal – but I’m sorry – no cigar – that simply doesn’t count.
Then there’s the whole Samurai and Phantom Agents TV series – complete with star-knives, Ninja’s and their almost religious mantra – ‘only use a gun as a last resort’ – but that’s another post altogether.
At the end of the day, when the history of the world is written and passed down on stone tablets from the mount for us all to deliberate – will it be sushi, Toyota’s or duster slippers for cats we truly thank the Japanese for . . .
I think not.
Nerds!
As much as we probably all admit to being way too cool to ever be considered one – we all have a soft side for them.
But who are your favourite nerds?
While in real life – Bill Gates would probably rank right up there – on the small screen at least I’ve compiled my own list of personal favourites. . . . so without fanfare (and in no particular order) my Top 10 nerds from TV are:
Gilligan (from Gillgans Island)
Milhouse (from The Simpsons)
Fez (from The 70’s Show)
Monk (from Monk)
Pottsie (from Happy Days)
Cliff Claven (from Cheers)
Arnold Horshack (from Welcome Back Kotter)
Gomer Pile (from Gomer Pile USMC)
Brains (from The Thunderbirds)
Hiro (from Heroes)
Would love to hear yours.
60’s and 70’s television culture – does it get any better?
Let’s face it – cheese sells. How else do you account for season after season of The Munsters – or Lost in Space.
How in today’s currency could you even contemplate running series after series of The Brady Bunch or put up with the escapades of McHales Navy or Hogan’s Heroes?
No – we’re talking classic television with a capital C. From The Addams Family to the Partridge Family – there’s little doubt that we’re smitten with a heady mix of both pop culture and nostalgia. Who could forget (or forgive Sally Field for her exuburence in) Gidget or The Flying Nun.
Will we ever get over such truly memorable television series as My Three Sons, Leave It to Beaver or Pettycoat Junction? And don’t forget the 70’s – CHiP’s with Ponch and John, Happy Days with Richie, Fonzie and the Gang, Laverne and Shirley or that stomping ground of the stars – Welcome Back Kotter, complete with one – John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino.
Perhaps Julia or Room 222 was more your go or perhaps you’ve a soft spot for young Buffy and Jody or their sibling “Sissy” in the highly inappropriate and politically incorrectly titled – A Family Affair.
Long and short of it is that these days you can go to almost any video store and hire the boxed set of Dukes of Hazard, I Dream of Jeanie or Lost In Space and not feel the worse for taking it home and indulging in a little ME time
‘The sirens are screaming and the fires are howling
Way down in the valley tonight . . . ‘
Could it be that the unmistakable melodic prose of Jim Steinman mixed with the bombastic style of one Marvin Lee Aday – better known to us all as ‘Meatloaf’ – afforded the world one of the greatest rock albums (commercially at least) that we’re ever likely to see?
Bat Out Of Hell (released in 1977) surely resides in either the mind or collection of every music lover – regardless of genre.
Still selling an estimated 200,000 copies each year, we know there’s at least 40 million fans out there who have willingly parted with their ‘hard-earned’ just so they can recount the delights of what Rolling Stone rated in its Top 500 Albums of all Time.
In fact it’s only one of two albums that have never actually exited the top 200 in the UK charts.
Facts aside – the album cover alone is a frame-able piece of pop art –
while culturally it is probably best remembered for the rock operetta “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.”
Without doubt the most thesponian and spectacularly dynamic piece on the album, it features wailing vocals extravagances and what reviewer Steve Gdula penned as being a “testosterone-crazed tenor in an incremental game of sexual bargaining with the resistant, but willing, Ellen Foley.
“By employing exaggerated power chords, screaming vocals, over-the-top arrangements, and a sense of rock & roll as Broadway theater, Bat made Meat Loaf a star. “
One thing is certain – Bat Out Of Hell provided an Everest for both Steinman and ‘Meat’ – a summit that they’ve never quite managed to reach since.
Collectively though – we – their musical Sherpa’s will continue to delight in the achievement.
I think somebody somewhere must be tolling a bell . . .
Click here to listen to Bat Out of Hell
“Rock ‘n roll’s been going downhill ever since Buddy Holly died.”
Hardly the definitive piece of historic movie dialogue but . . . salient in it’s context none-the-less.
. . . Happy Days, Grease, Sha-na-na, Laverne and Shirley, Back to The Future Part 1 . . . there’s little doubt that for the latter part of the 70’s, we were collectively captivated with the romance of the 1950’s.
Strangely enough though – it was a movie set in the 60’s which is uniformly acknowledged as the catalyst for the fervour which swept up most of English speaking world.
American Graffiti – starring a young Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips, Suzanne Sommers Harrison Ford, Joe Spano and Charles Martin Smith – to name just a few – recreated the feel, landscape, and sounds of early 60s, in small-town America – an historical time period (of JFK’s Presidency and the New Frontier before the jarring assassination of late 1963).
Advertising posters and theatrical trailers for the film asked: “Where were you in ‘62? . . . yet strangely enough the film (by Star Wars director – George Lucas – is credited with birthing the 50’s TV and film phenonomen.
Admittedly there were over 300 pre-1962 cars used in the 1973 film and the soundtrack featured an absolute fistful of songs harking back to the likes of Bill Haley and Comets with Rock Around the Clock, Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry and the Buddy Holly classic – That’ll be The Day.
But perhaps a less tangible (but very real) reason behind the film’s success (which was produced in just 28 days) is the measurable feel for a seemingly more innocent time – when cool music, hot cars, tough guys and cute chicks were the order of the day.
Of course this wasn’t lost on film and television producers either – and with the 60’s a little too reviled (and recent) in people’s minds – then the 50’s backdrop proved the perfect formula.
And so the era was re-birthed – Hollywood style.
It goes without saying that many of the film’s stars went on to receiving regular pay cheques, appearing in hit TV sitcoms such as Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, One Day at a Time, Three’s Company and Hill Street Blues.
And although the film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing, it came away empty-handed.
In the words of Fats Domino – Ain’t That A Shame.
They say that music matters most when you’re a teenager.
Apparently (as reported in an article appearing the in the SMH back in 2004) it is a ’social lubricant and signifier in your 20s and represents the person you remember you were (and wish you were still) when you’re in your 30s and 40s’.
“Along the way you go from searching out the thrill of the new to pondering the strangeness of the new to dismissing the inadequacies of the new.
“If you believe there hasn’t been a great band since (insert your preferred period here) ask yourself: do I really want to hear new music? Do you read about new bands, new songwriters? Do you want to be challenged to think differently or do your prefer to have your tastes confirmed?
“The chances are if you’re already past your mid-20s you did (or should, if you’re being honest) answer no to those questions. Just like every generation you are stuck in the music of your youth and young adulthood.
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. Who says you have to like or care about any new music, whether it’s new to you in 1967, 1977 or 2007?”
That said – there are song’s that live in everyone’s mind – songs – as so eloquently penned by ELO in the mid 70’s – that you simply can’t get out of your head.
So at the risk of having those very tunes resonate throughout the day – what’s yours?
Click Here to listen to ELO and Cant Get It Out of My Head
Remember the Huxtables from The Cosby show – and how cool they were?
Or how about the Brady’s?
Perhaps The Taylors from Home Improvement or better still maybe The Cunningham’s from Happy Days.
Just about all of us had a favourite TV Family – that we longed to be a part of – for whatever reason.
Ok, so may some weren’t quite up the scatch but even the weirder one scuh as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Munsters or The Addams Family had some redeeming qualities.
Maybe Al and Peg Bundy cracked your top five or Charles and Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie. Perhaps we have to go even further back to the Cleavers or dare I say it – The Waltons?
Of course we can’t discount Homer and Marge’s impact on our lives let alone other classic cartoon families such as The Flintstones or The Jetsons.
So folks – it’s family’s a ten paces . . . choose yours wisely . . .
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?
Would is be one of the pretty boys like Pitt or a glamour like Lauren Bacall?
Would Humphrey Bogart get your nod of approval or would Drew Barrymore be your first choice?
Perhaps you’re more the Charles Bronson type – or maybe Ingrid Bergman?
From where I sit – the jury is still out – though Harrison Ford does have a huge amount of appeal.
Would love to hear who you’d have in mind.
Damn – that’s a tough one!
Conversation turned to this at a party held in the confines of the Doctor’s palatial residence recently – and the jury was still out 2 hours after the topic was raised.
Jimmy Hendrix vs Elton John, The Beatles v the Bee Gees, the Moon Landing vs Star Wars – the lists were endless – or seemingly at least.
The 70’s was afterall a time when Grease was the Word that We Heard, and The Jackson 5 taught us that learning the ABC was as easy as 1-2-3 and flares were either something you wore . . . a distress signal . . . or both.
It was a time when The Fonz was cool, the girls from ABBA were hot and protest marches were on the boil.
We had mood rings and sea monkeys, platforms and pet rocks, safari suits and slinkies Rubiks Cube and Rod Stewart.
We had Rocky, the Brady Bunch and CHiPs and a Million Dollar Man.
We saw Travolta dazzle and Nixon frazzle and we paid homage to a raft of new Hollywood Queens – yet publicity mourned the loss of the one and only King.
So welcome to the 70’s – where Stayin’ Alive was a credo – not a survival technique.
Of course the 60 saw indiginous Australians win the vote – and Americans lose a president.
. . . when a band of 4 cheeky Monkees were telling us they were Believers
. . . and 4 foreign Beatles were wanting to Hold our Hand
Where Woodstock and the Flintstones both rocked
. . . and hippies were simply chose to get stoned.
It was time when knee-high boots and Mini Skirts were in – and Vietnam resulted in our troops being shipped out, where The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady waxed lyrical and the Beach Boys waxed surfboards.
It was an era of hope and the Age of Aquarius . . .
So which was cooler?
I’m still getting splinters from sitting on the fence.
From time to time – as you do – I dragged out a copy of the old Happy Days TV series the other day – complete with Richie, The Fonz, Ralph Malph, Potsie and the gang – just to lighten the mood around the palatial Pop Doctor estate.
The sugary sweet, ‘twee’ nature of the whole series had almost been lost on me when one of my kids (who was watching the episodes for the first time) and referring to the quaint timber facade of the Cummingham residence quipped:
“Wouldn’t it be sooooo cool to live in their house.”
Well – come to think of it – I guess (given we only ever saw the lounge, kitchen and two bedrooms) that perhaps it might just be cool to take up digs with Marion and Howard – heyyyyyyyy!
So if you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be?
Perhaps The Addams Family or The Brady Bunch environs were more to your taste – or The Munsters offered your kind of real estate. Perhaps life with a bunch of Desperate Housewives is more your cuppa tea or a weekend with Mr Rourke and Tattoo on Fantasy Island?
Love to hear from you.
What is it about 70’s music that evokes seemingly mature men to spontaneously adopt a Fender air guitar stance amidst normally civil (yet like-minded) individuals – and women to shun their inhabitations and regail in either the Nut-Bush or encouraging their girlfriends to join them on the dance floor – simply because “I love this song”?
One hit wonders including the likes of Patrick Hernandez or The Knack have a lot to answer for while groups such as the Bee Gees and their almost spirtual Saturday Night Fever album are just the tip of the whole disco iceberg.
Yes – Donna Summer, Roger Voudouris – the list goes on – and so does their music – no matter how good or bad their puritan talent may have been – you’ve gotta love an era where tie-dye was a fashion statement, where you could not only play vinyl but could wear it, where being a fan of big hair, big heels and big jewellery meant you were a big player.
But it was the ‘big acts’ – such as ACDC, Kiss and later Van Halen which led the Air Guitar renaissance – initiated by Chuck Berry and his legendary moves (so visually recreated in both Back to the Future I and II) with Johnny B. Goode.
There’s no doubt about it – the 70’s afforded us so much – yet the air guitar with its wailing six string riffs and hypnotic chord changes is a legacy which has defied the ages.
Go on – admit it – we’ve all done it before (either in the privacy of your own company) or on the dance floor – no doubt to the adulation of those adoring fans around you.
Why, there’s even a US Air Guitar Championship – with auditions in no less than 14 States including Boston, LA, Washington and New York – where those handy with an invisble “Axe” via for $1000 in prize money and a trip to Finland to take part in the World Air Guitar titles.
Yes – disciples unite.
Meet George Jetson! His son Elroy . . .
The celluloid and cartoon world is filled with characters from the future.
Marvin The Martian, George Jetson, Luke Skywalker, James T.Kirk, Mork from Ork, Buck Rogers, The Great Kazoo – the list goes on and on and well, on . . .
Throw in your pseudo time travllers from hits such as Back to The Future or The Time Tunnel and there’s a feast of characters – from which I’m sure there’s one you could nominate as an all time fav.
For some of us it was Mood Rings and Pukka Shell necklaces, others Pet Rocks or Sea Monkeys – but whatever your crime – the 70’s certainly had its fair share of fads and crazes.
It was an era which didn’t descriminate either – young or old – there was always a new sub-culture just waiting in the wings – complete with its own group of disciples – looking to spread the word of ‘faddism’.
From Farah Fawcett hairstyles to safari suits, toe socks and silk disco jackets – fashion aficionados would certainly be in hot water should their collective cases sit before even a benevolent style jury.
Then we had your creative types with their string art and lava lamps – your blokey types with their ‘breaker, breaker, 10-4 Big Buddy’ CB radio’s.
We had the entertainers with their constant fondue parties and of course everyone under the age of 16, complete with Atari, gonks and Surfer Sam skateboards.
Of course where would we be today without special mention to those brave souls who brought ‘streaking’ to today’s sporting venacular?
There were ‘dingbats’and macramé, silkworm collections and tie dying – in fact my mind was so irretrievably infatuated with Coke Cola yo yo’s, football and Kung Fu cards that there’s bound to be scores – no – hundreds more that still probably have us scratching our heads.
So, what was your favourite fad of the 70’s?
No matter how recalcitrant – we salute you!
Stranded at the Drive-In . . .
“Branded a Fool . . .
“What will they say . . .
“Monday at School . . . “
Ahhhhh – the heartfelt tome of one John Travolta – who, as part of the Grease phenomenon, serenaded his beloved Sandy in a scene which featured one of the most recognizable icons of the twentieth century – the Drive-In Theatre – which now – sadly, is virtually extinct.
For those of us old enough to remember – the Drive-In was full of nostalgia and childhood memories.
Pyjama clad kids packed in the back of the car – mum and dad in the front trying to quell the excitement of a ‘big night’ out as the squeals of four, five and six year-olds reverberated around the cabin of the old EH.
Queuing for sometimes up to an hour as hundreds of other like-minded pilgrims made their way to the local movie mecca – some having to be turned away as the ‘field of dreams’ strained to house the masses.
The hooking up single cone blue and white metal speakers, the obligatory blasts of horns, flashes of headlights on the screen and of course parked somewhere down the back – the tell tale sign of fervently enthusiastic but sexually bumbling teens – complete with fogged windows.
Yes – the Drive-In was a doyen of discovery – where you could eat, drink and be merry in the comfort of your pride and joy – alas – those days are coming close to being folklore.
As recently as 25 years ago – there were over 300 Drive-Ins in Australia – today only 20 survive!
Sure – there are sanitized multi-cinema megaplexes – the advent of the VCR, DVD and home threatre systems – and a plausible argument for more constructive use of 12 hectares of land (particularly if you’re a developer) – but hey – isn’t it time that those of us weary of rampant commercialism make a stand and look to save the last of this dying breed?
We will probably never again see the proliferation of outdoor theatres contributing to a large percentage of box-office revenue, but ‘re-invented’ they could well entertain a new breed of patron and survive a commercial and cinematic flat-line – it’s all part of the bigger picture you know!
As kids – and when all other avenues were exhausted – we generally occupied ourselves by pulling out either Scrabble or Monopoly.
OK, so we had a few other board games tucked away – but other than something curiously labeled – Capt Cook’s Voyage to Discovery – these two perennial favourites managed to keep the boredom factor down and our mother’s nerves somewhat in tact.
Of course back in the dim dark ages prior to PS3’s, Wii, ninetendo etc – games such as Mousetrap, Ker-Plunk, Masterpiece and Cluedo (with Col. Mustard and Prof. Plum) – kept kids (generally) off the street and out of strife – temporarily at least.
So – did you have a favourite board game?
Pictionary, Scattegories, Battleship – anyone?
The Monkees were the quinessential ‘manufacturerd’ pop quartet, assembled in LA during the mid 60’s – purportedly to combat the scourge of the British invasion by bands such as The Beatles.
Marketed to the pre-teen and teen audience – the group is probably best known for its hit TV series – known (strangley enough) as The Monkees.
Featuring Americans Mickey Dolena, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Englishman, Davy Jones – the group’s rise to stardom came about when two spiring filmmakersBob Rafelson and Bert Schneider – having been besotted by the Beatles film A Hard Days Night – decided to develop a television series about a fictional rock ‘n’ roll group.
While both Nesmith, a guitarist, and Tork, who could play several instruments were legitimate musicians – Dolenz was in essence an actor (having starred on early TV programs such Circus Boy) and Jones and actor and sometimes session singer.
Spending up to 12-hour days on the set, before being called in to the recording studio to cut vocal tracks, the Monkees were essentially the creation of the recording studio, there were few limits on how long they could spend in the recording studio, and the result was an extensive catalogue of hit after manufactuered hit – with collaborative writers including Neil Sedaka and Carol Bayer Segar.
With Jones sticking primarily to vocals and tambourine (except when filling in on the drums when Dolenz came forward to sing a lead vocal), the Monkees’ act constituted a classicpower trio of electric guitar, electric bass, and drums.
Critics of the Monkees observed that they were simply the “prefab four”, a made-for-TV knockoff of The Beatles but the Beatles took it in stride, and made the Monkees welcome when they visited England. John Lennon publicly compared the Monkees’ humor to The Marx Brothers, George Harrison praised their self-produced musical attempts, saying “When they get it all sorted out, they might turn out to be the best” (Peter Tork was later one of the musicians on Harrison’s Wonderwall Music playing Paul McCartney’s five-string banjo.
The Monkees had several international hits which are still heard on pop and oldies stations. These include I’m A Believer, Daydream Believer, Last Train to Clarksville and Pleasant Valley Sunday along with their signature theme tune from the TV series.
Despite their seemingly permanent reputation as a made-for-TV act, their hits and many lesser recordings present an enduring quality that has earned respect over the years.
Click Here To Hear The Monkees on YouTube
What do the following have in common?
“Just remember it’s not a lie if you believe it.”
“He’s a male bimbo, he’s a mimbo!”
“I’m disturbed, I’m depressed, I’m inadequate, I’ve got it all!”
If you said they were all quotes from the sitcom sensation of the nineties ‘Seinfeld’ – well you’re probably a tragic.
Starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld, the show featured former girlfriend Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) luckless George (Tony Award winner Jason Alexander) and the shock-haired Kramer and seamlessly blends situation comedy with stand-up routines
The pretext of the series and Seinfeild own view of life as a single adult in the ’90s is well documented and its humour grows out of everyday reality making it one of the most poular television shows of all time!
Amidst the classic Seinfeld episodes were The Soup Nazi; The Bubble Boy and The Outing (in which Jerry and George are mistakenly believed to be a gay item – but ask aficionado’s and they will tell you that every episode is indeed a classic.
What you may not know is the amount of Seinfeld trivia which is a business in itself – with buffs frequenting weekly tournaments throughout the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
Feel free to add to the list – but the good Doctor can at least lay claim to knowing the following:
Seinfeld creator Larry David modelled the show’s character George Costanza after himself.
Seinfeld was set in New York City however the exterior that was used for Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment house is actually in Los Angeles California.
The cereal boxes in Jerry Seinfeld’s cupboard were always in placed alphabetical order.
Elaine Benes wasn’t in the pilot for Seinfeld. After that episode aired they decided that they needed a female character to balance out the three males.
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